Raphael Kasambara (26 September 1969 – 7 June 2024) was a Malawian lawyer, jurist, academic and convicted criminal who served as the

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

and Attorney General. He served twice as

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

under the administration of Presidents

Bingu wa Mutharika Bingu wa Mutharika (; born Brightson Webster Ryson Thom; 24 February 1934 – 5 April 2012) was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democ ...

and

Joyce Banda Joyce Hilda Banda (née Ntila; born 12 April 1950) is a Malawi, Malawian politician, who served as List of heads of state of Malawi, President of Malawi, from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden deat ...

, before being removed from office following allegations of involvement in the 2013 Malawi Capital Hill Cashgate Scandal. He was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in jail in 2016 for conspiracy to murder a civil servant and had been on bail at the time of his death.

Early life

Kasambara was born in Nkhata Bay on 26 September 1969.

Career

Kasambara was a law teacher at Chancellor College,

University of Malawi The University of Malawi (UNIMA) is a public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whethe ...

. He served as President and Chairman of the

Malawi Law Society Malawi Law Society is a legal membership organization that unites all lawyers in Malawi. It is administered by an elected executive board. Malawi Legal Information Institute (MLII) The Malawi Legal Information Institute is a division of the MLS.

from 2003 to 2004. He was an Attorney General under

's first administration. He later became the lawyer for

who was being sidelined by the Mutharika administration. He was also the lawyer of Zambian President

Michael Sata Michael Charles Chilufya Sata (6 July 1937 – 28 October 2014) was a Zambian politician who served as the fifth president of Zambia from 2011 until Death and state funeral of Michael Sata, his death in 2014. A social democrat, he led the Patrio ...

. On 26 April 2012, President Joyce Banda appointed Kasambara as

and Attorney General. On 10 October, a few days after returning from a trip to the UN, Banda sacked her cabinet and replaced Kasambara with Fahad Assani in the new cabinet, which was announced on 15 October 2013.

Arrests and conviction

Kasambara became a vocal critic of President Mutharika's administration, advocating for his impeachment and commenting that he "wants to be a dictator". Kasambara was arrested on 14 February 2012 after a group of would-be arsonists went to his offices with petrol bombs and were subdued by him and his supporters. When they called the police, the police arrested him and five others on charges of 'kidnapping' and 'torturing' the three men. He was taken to jail, released on bail, and re-arrested for a 'fraudulent bail process'. On 8 November 2013, Kasambara was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the September shooting of

whistleblower Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...

Paul Mphwiyo following the Capital Hill Cashgate Scandal. He was subsequently denied bail, but later released on bail. He was rearrested on money laundering charges on 27 January 2014. On 21 July 2016, he was convicted by the High Court for conspiring to murder Paul Mphwiyo. On 30 August 2016, he was given a 13-year jail term for conspiracy to murder a civil servant, in a crime believed to be linked to a multi-million dollar corruption ring.

Death

Kasambara was found dead at a lodge in the Lilongwe suburb of Area 47 in Malawi, on the evening of 7 June 2024. He was 54. Preliminary results of an

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

showed that he had died due to

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

. The police report noted that "different types of drugs and alcohol" were found in the same room where his body was discovered. His funeral was held on 10 June 2024 in the Northern Region, during which an aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others crashed on their way to attend the ceremony, killing everyone on board.

Publications

* "Civic Education in Malawi Since 1992: An Appraisal", in Kings M. Phiri and Kenneth R. Ross, Democratisation in Malawi: A Stocktaking (book), Kacehere Publishing – 1998 * The Legal Regime for Foreign Direct Investment in Malawi (article), UNIMA Students Law Journal – 2000

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasambara, Ralph 1969 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Malawian lawyers 21st-century Malawian lawyers Malawian human rights activists Government ministers of Malawi Justice ministers of Malawi Academic staff of the University of Malawi Attorneys-general of Malawi People from the Northern Region, Malawi